Cohoes man sentenced to rehab for attempted robbery in Troy

TROY -- A 39-year-old Cohoes man avoided prison for attempted robbery after he was sentenced to a state-run rehab facility for substance abusers Wednesday morning in Rensselaer County Court.

After a guilty plea in connection with a robbery attempt in north Troy Judge Debra Young sentenced 39-year-old Bruce Sawyer to a boot-camp-style rehab facility overseen by the state Department of Corrections.

Sawyer, of 53 Willow St. must complete the program successfully or face the full sentence of up to four years in prison.

The charges stem from an attempted robbery at 586 Second St. in Troy on Dec. 23, 2011, when law enforcement sources said Sawyer entered the store with a weapon and demanded money.

Initially unaware of a Troy Housing Authority police cruiser parked across the street, Sawyer soon abandoned his attempt and fled the scene but was quickly apprehended.

An admitted heroin addict, Sawyer will serve his sentence as a patient/inmate at Willard Drug Treatment Campus which specializes in substance abuse treatment.